


only fools (like me) would fall for you

by rischaa



Series: five ways to fall in love | jarchie ship week 2017 [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Asexual Jughead Jones, Boys Kissing, Denial of Feelings, Divorce, Falling In Love, Las Vegas, Light Angst, M/M, Mistakes, Wedding Rings, tea: jarchie day 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-16 23:38:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11263401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rischaa/pseuds/rischaa
Summary: “We can just file a divorce, easily right?”He fidgets with his fingers repeatedly; looking at Joshua with something that felt like hope.“Well, yes, but there are certain conditions before doing so.”-day 1 for jarchie ship week 2017 | prompt: accidentally married// the jarchie fic where juggie's just scared of marriage because trauma and archie's there to help him in the course of trying not to fall in love. (also josh, their laywer, is just so damn done w them)





	only fools (like me) would fall for you

**Author's Note:**

> this is really short compared to my other fics for this week, but it's a good start. **also, jughead's ace/ asexual here with the boundaries of being fine with kissing. there are also triggers of anxiety and panic attacks.**
> 
> hope you enjoy reading this~  
> -  
> 

It went something that sounded like _“Great! My fucking life’s now ruled over a legal certificate of marriage. Thanks, a fucking bunch, Archie!”_ when he had jolted Archie out of his sleep. Jughead was shaken to have found rings around their fingers, fake silver at that too. At first, he thought it was a joke, but god’s heavens, nope! They had actually legally gotten married in Las Vegas.

 

He knew he shouldn’t have fell into the trap of Archie’s stupid pleading to go into the infamous city of Nevada. It was all a mistake, at least that’s what he had tried to tell himself for the next few hours. After lunch, he had decided to throw the malleable band around his ‘ring’ finger. It felt like something was holding him down. Sooner or later, his mind dragged himself into the endless pit of harsh consequences he feared. And all of them were scaring him to the edge of his sanity.

 

Jughead had always been scared. Scared of this fickle emotion he refused to feel. Scared of consequences that involved it. And the possibility of it ever happening, he hoped it was very low. _Very, very low._

 

* * *

Did the expectations turn any lower than possible? Not when he was stuck in this stuffy room where he has been referred to by Veronica. The walls were smeared with a boring color of beige and with weird sophisticated paintings up wherever it seemed suitable. The man’s certificates also donned the walls behind his wooden desk.

 

And finally, his anxiety ceases when the man has entered.

 

In what seemed like a normal striped blue grey shirt under his fleecy looking grey tux. He also wore glasses with rims of the color black and his eyes were of the piercing color palette. He couldn’t help shift his eyes away only to shift them back at him sooner or later. His hands were getting even sweatier as minutes passed while the man sat himself on his desk peering at a piece of paper, then at them.

 

“Hi, I’m Joshua, and Ms. Lodge has referred you to me, yes?”

 

Archie almost stutters on his reply, a side effect of what happened in high school, “U-uh, yeah, Veronica, she did.”

 

Jughead thanks Archie silently in his mind for starting the conversation. God, the things they’ve both gone through in high school in such similar situations. It’s scarily ironic and extremely unsettling to his nerves. The fact that it seems so damn familiar to his mind and senses send chills down his spine and skin; like a slow torturous ripple on the lake. Jughead glances at his best friend, well, that’s what they were right? _Were?_ No, that didn’t sound right at all. It even felt weird to call him as his _husband._ It tasted like something newfound on his taste buds.

 

“We can just file a divorce, easily right?”

 

He fidgets with his fingers repeatedly; looking at Joshua with something that felt like hope.

 

“Well, yes, but there are certain conditions before doing so.”

 

Archie enters in hurriedly, weaving his impatient fingers through his red hair, “What are they?”

 

“Well, since you guys seem close already, you guys better make sure you don’t do anything stupid over the span of the next six weeks. There’s a waiting period of you guys having to live here for at least six weeks or more to finally file it. After that, you guys just have to bear with it a lil bit more and you’re free!” Joshua’s hands throw up in the air like a little kid would when explaining his ideas.

 

“Six weeks,” Jughead whispers.

 

“Yes, Mr. Jones.”

 

“Don’t do anything stupid… like anyth- “

 

“Anything that will make you seem like a couple. Or develop into what that is,” Joshua explains with a slight smile, “Get that Mr. Jones?”

 

“So, we can set up an appointment after six weeks or after?”

 

“Definitely, anytime. Now, before you leave, _don’t do anything stupid!”_

They run to the car, their oxygen tanks running out right before collapsing onto their car seats. He takes a quick glance at Archie who’s downing an entire water bottle. Soon after he starts running his fingers through his hair again. It’s been a habit of his ever since he’s talked to therapists in high school; that was right after he finally got the courage to do so. A mere coping mechanism. He tries to do it less around him, but Jughead knows some things you just can’t stop doing.

 

“I’m supposed to be the emotionally anxious one here. Not you.”

 

“Sarcasm noted. I’ll drive.”

 

Jughead sighs and looks at the ugly sunset before them. Their apartment was sure to be far from here, around fifty? _nah,_ must be around- you know what? It’s a long way, he’ll just let Archie drive.

 

“Play shitty music, I don’t care, but I swear if you tap your fingers against the wheel, I will wreak havoc over your car.”

 

He gets a nod and the car starts.

* * *

“Are you scared?”

 

“Scared? Pfft. Are _you?”_

“No, really, are you?”

 

Jughead hesitates before saying, “Have you seen me back in high school? You were the one who picked me up. _You, of all people._ You should know me better this. Commitments just aren’t me, Arch.”

 

Archie hums an approval and it almost sounds as if he’s known the entire time. He’s tapping the wheel and it doesn’t even matter anymore. He brings down the window and the views are just a blur now; trees becoming streaks of foggy green fusing in the warmth of the street lights. With the windows, down, he could feel the emptiness the breeze was infused with as it passed their car with a whoosh. He could hear the radio man talk about the weather in that insipid place they've "accidentally" gotten married.

 

"Fuck," he hears Archie curse loudly hitting the wheel with seething annoyance.

 

"What you on about?" He refuses to look at Archie, staring at the stagnant traffic lights and the cars with their headlights on painting the grey asphalt with bloody red and yellow. 

 

"S'nothing, Jug."

 

He knows Archie best. He knows when he’s putting up a front again. Jughead knows how broken they both are and this _accident_ will break them even further. Both of them have tension hanging above their shoulders and he guesses if it’s just six weeks… Just six weeks of _this_ accident; then maybe, just maybe, they’ll get out just fine if they were careful. But then again they were never to be known like that. The stakes have risen for them to break even further.

 

But for now… Archie changes the station to some shitty pop music and as the car finally starts moving to which his eyelids start falling heavily. He tries to keep them open and the last time he tries is when he hears Archie mumble something to him. He feels vulnerable in a state of such; he's frightened, the chills repeatedly running up and down his bones.

 

It’s cold by the time the music fades away.

* * *

Jughead downs the fourth bottle of beer like it’s nothing and everything’s turning really weird and blurry. It’s getting really hot and humid in here. It’s probably the alcohol acting up.

 

Fucking hell, it’s really hot; he removes the hat off of his head for the first time these past two weeks since they got married. He removes the grey jacket off too and leaves it on the floor lying carelessly. He looks at the ring on finger and somehow he feels like throwing it. _Not now, maybe later._

 

Silence comes over him and as he closes his eyes, he feels warm air trickle like water vapor on his nape and gosh, it's one of those intoxicating feelings you _just_ want. He feels someone kissing his nape and _fuckk,_ it feels _really_ good. There's a trail being left and it finally reaches his lips.

 

His hair is being ran with Archie's fingers and god, they said not to do anything stupid, _but,_ he wants this so fucking bad. _This,_ right in front of him. Archie kissing him senseless and knowing that they won't remember anything the next morning would be great. God forbid, he actually would remember any of this. _Not that he was complaining._

 

“Arch,” he breathes out loudly and in response, he feels him bite his lip hard with a moan to go along with it too, “Fu- “

 

_this is just for tonight. j-just tonight. ah shit, he’s oh fuck-fuck, fuck. he’s not supposed to feel like this._

He tastes like beer, like fucking beer, of course he’s gone out to drink. They’re both fucking drunk- but god, fuck, he wants more of this. He pulls away for a few seconds and looks at Archie straight dead in the eye. And of course, he notices how bruised Archie’s lips are and he licks them. How could- fuck, he’s never really understood why everyone was sexually attracted to Archie, but oh my fucking gods, he’s hot like this. He’s hot with his lips a bruised red it’s all _his._

“Fuck, Jug, if you’re gonna look at me like that, I might as well get laid tonight.”

 

“I don’t do _sex_ , Arch,” he pauses, biting his lips and bringing himself closer to Archie, unbelievably close and there’s so much tension, “but I can do kissing. Kissing’s fine. Fuck, just kiss m- “

 

Archie doesn’t let him finish his sentence and they stumble their way to Arc, _no,_ it’s _their_ room now. They hit a few things in the way and they fall on the bed. It gets even hotter as Archie traces circles with his fingers in his hair and the way the other hand is heating the back of his nape mercilessly. He shouldn’t be this attracted to whatever Archie was doing or Archie for the matter of fact.

 

_it’s just the alcohol talking. it’s just the alcohol. yeah, just the- fuck!_

Even for the heat of the moment for wanting this, it’s not rough like he’d imagine or expect. It was intoxicatingly gentle and safe and god, he guesses it’s okay to be selfish. But still, he’s going to have regrets, and he knows it.

 

“Jug, you’re h-ah, fuck, it’s really hot in here.”

 

“Take your,” he tries to breathe before kissing him again, “fucking shirt off then.”

 

Archie’s hands move downward, brushing by where his thighs are and removing his shirt off. They then briefly slide under his shirt and it’s electrifying, every time he’d brush his skin softly; Jughead just felt like melting. Archie’s left his lips by then and moved onto his neck and trailing down to his collarbones.

 

_fuck, this is bad. we’re married and joshua- he told us not to do anything stupid. was this stupid though?_

He wants more; Archie was like an aphrodisiac- he just wanted more, this. He wants more of this.

 

When he wakes up, he hopes he forgets everything.

* * *

He doesn’t forget anything.

 

When he wakes up, he’s wrapped under Archie’s arms, strands of his hair tickling his face. He’s incredibly close and his face still looked remotely a flushed pink from last night. He sits up, carefully trying not to wake him up and he can feel the headache coming, but the memories don’t seem to be going anywhere. Jughead looks at the finger where the newly bought finger was settling on. It was a simple thin gold band, nothing too expensive. It wasn’t really his idea; it was more of Archie’s. Something along the lines of, _“I mean, if we’re going to be stuck like this for the next few weeks until we file it, might as well make it real.”_

 

Now that’s thought about it, it’s only been two weeks with a remainder of four more weeks until they can file their ‘divorce.’ Of course, he still wants it, but after that fiasco from last night, it’s got his feelings muddled up like crazy. If this goes on, he’s in danger. After last night, those kisses will start to mean something, and his heart is not ready for that. Archie may not even want him and that was just a drunk decision of his last night.

 

With a single glance and a weak smile, he walks to the kitchen and grabs the empty beer bottles, throwing them in the trash. He picks his jacket and places it on the back of the kitchen chair snugly. He walks to the sink and washes his face (even though he passed by the bathroom just a few minutes ago). He tries to will the memories while doing so, but it doesn’t seem to be working.

 

Throwing in some instant coffee into his cup while the water was boiling and he hears the bedsheets shuffle loudly with Archie groaning.

 

A few minutes later, he feels Archie next to him saying, “My head fucking hurts and-” there’s a sudden pause as if he’s remembered something shocking, “We? Shit-fuck, sorry. But- oh fuck, I shouldn’t ha- “

 

“Hey, hey it’s alright, I- uh here,” he motions to his cup of coffee, “- have my cup of coffee. Just don’t panic.”

 

There’s pure silence and extreme tension when they sit down by the kitchen table. It’s frustrating, he takes a glance and then he’s also looking at him. They look away quickly and look back again. It’s so _fucking_ frustrating.

 

“Look. I’m not bothered by it. It’s not like we had _sex._ ”

 

“But, I inva- “

 

He swears if he says one more thing about consent or invading his privacy; he will actually punch his best friend slash husband in the face.

 

“One more fucking word out of that pretty mouth of yours and I will murder you,” he stares at Archie and upon realizing what he had said, he looks away from Archie’s face.

 

“Jug, you told me you didn’t want any of this mess and he told us not to do anything stupid. And we’re kinda doing the exact opposite of that. You said you didn’t want anything to do with me sexually or romantically, so what exactly are we doing?”

 

“We never were one for rules, Archie,” he sighs exasperated.

 

“We kissed last night, no, it wasn’t even one kiss, aren’t you at le- “

 

“God, Archie take a hint! I went along with it. I _liked_ **it.** Okay? I wanted to just fucking go on and I don’t know why. I just wanted it- I wanted you and, and-” he shuts his eyes tightly, quickly opening them, “-and wanting you scared me. That’s what been scaring me this entire time. Last night just showed me how much I should be fucking scared! I’m- _so fucking_ scared, Arch.”

 

“Hey, hey, look at me, Jug, look at me. Please look at me, I’m not gonna hurt you.”

 

There’s no embrace, just the staring of their eyes and concern wrapping them together. It’s loud, their eyes talking for them instead of their vocal chords. He looks at Archie; just looking at him makes him want to spill tears like they were rivers. He wasn’t supposed to feel like this. This marriage was just becoming a huge fucking disaster for his barely glued heart.

 

“I don’t want to be in love ever again. You should know this.”

 

“Just four more weeks, we can do this.”

 

 _“Four more weeks,”_ he repeats softly.

-

 

There’s half a week left until they can officially file it and they’re already falling into routine. It’s a scary and dangerous routine, but somehow he feels comfortable with it. The small little things they do; he prepares the coffee and starts writing new chapters for his novel. Then there’s them ordering during weekends while watching countless marathons. They fall asleep, wake up, repeat the entire week. They talk normally as if the marriage had never happened because… _well,_ it’s not like it was something they could casually talk about.

 

Marriage had scared him ever since his mother had left them and Jellybean was ripped from his life. He had seen how ‘love’ destroyed their family. At that young age, he had thought it was supposed to save the crumbling ruins of what his father and mother had. But, it was the ultimate thing that crushed it into pieces. Ever since then, he knew ‘love’ wasn’t real, then high school came confusing him with his sexuality and romantic tendencies.

 

Betty Cooper, the girl living next door to Archie at that time; she was the girl he had fallen for. _That-_ that was a time he wouldn’t like to reminisce at any time soon. He became a victim to anything involving _it_ and _it_ happening another time around- it shook him and he didn’t want any of it happening all over again.

 

And yet- _and yet!_ Here he was, falling in the routine and wanting it. Any minute he spent any longer here with him; and he’d actually burst out screaming. But then. he wasn’t _that_ irrational and reckless. Except for that night- that stupid night.

 

A jab from the elbow shook him away from his thoughts only for a flash of bright light to almost blind his eyes. He shuts them quickly to regain his vision, as he had obviously zoned out. Jughead turned to Archie and gave him a glare. Archie didn’t seem to notice at all but after a certain obtuse amount of time, Archie had finally noticed.

 

The redhead held up his arms in surrender, “Hey, it’s just you weren’t paying attention, so I –uh, jabbed ya. Also, there’s only a few until this thing is just ‘poof’,” he creates an explosion through hand gestures; then quickly pausing as if he would regret saying it, “-and I know you’re going to hate me if I say it.” There’s an unhealthy pause; Archie looks away from him and turns the television off. There’s an atmosphere of hues that are painting blues and greys around them.

 

“I’m not supposed to feel like this, right? We’re just _friends.”_

 

Jughead can’t help but stare at him longingly, just for him to turn- he knows it’s a dangerous kind of hope.

 

“You do know that we’ll ha- “

 

And he turns, his eyes are tired and dull; not the bright or confused hazel he’s seen ever since they were children. It’s lost and emotionally drained. He hasn’t noticed it these past days and he feels like _shit_ for it; he’s been putting up a front this entire time. Jughead immediately pieces the hints together and he realizes that Archie’s in the same position that he’s in.

 

_don’t give in. it’s just a few days. you can just be **f R ien Ds.**_

His chest hurts and he gazes back at him, biting his lip and he feels the urge to break. He shouldn’t- no, no, not now. He refuses to let it break. The colors become a viewpoint of blurry lines and everything else was turning into a tornado of chaos. Or maybe it’s just an illusion—but then, but damn it all because the pain spreading across his chest and his nerves are turning into poison. It seems _too real._

 

“At this rate, if we keep doing this- whatever we have, all these mistakes we make, I’m going to actually end up fa- “

 

“Don’t say it. _Please don’t,”_ that isn’t what he wants to say- no, he wants him to continue.

 

“Okay, if that’s what makes it okay for you.”

 

His heart barely survives the tsunami of fickle emotions. _He makes it out alive._

-

“And this helps your grounds for divorce… how exactly?”

 

“I mean we thought about it and it’d be better if we didn’t move and _cheaper_ too. It’s convenient,” Jughead explains to Joshua who seems real close to squeezing the papers in his hand to pulp.

 

“We’re not splitting any property whatsoever- it’s reasonable enough. It’s okay for friends to live together right?”

 

Jughead looked away from Joshua and twisted the ring on his finger and listens to the anxious breathing of Archie. Listening to it, he feels like running away- it makes him a little more anxious than he was from a few minutes ago. He twists the gold band a little harshly and it leads a red burn on his finger.

 

“ _Un-fucking-believable._ Are you sure you guys want this?” He looks at the both of them with an incredulous look, “You guys are in- oh fuck, you guys are just unbelievable. You both- I’m not dealing with this.” Joshua sighs and shoves the papers back in his weird little bag and looks at the both of them.

 

“This isn’t going to help your case of wanting a divorce. So far, I’ve gathered that there’s going to be no changes after separation and you guys are infatuated with each other,” Joshua breathes and pushes the bridge of his glasses upward, “ _and it’s very **damn** _ obvious. This is helping your case… how?”

 

Jughead takes a glance at Archie who’s doing the same with his ring; harshly twisting it out of anxiety. He notices it getting very red. He grabs Archie’s hand and looks at him with concern. He stops, _thankfully._

 

“Even a no-fault divorce ain’t coming cheap and as far as I can see with my eyes, nothing’s going to change. Why even bother with it?” Joshua stands up, all business-like, and he squints his eyes at them bitterly and announces scarily to them before leaving, “I want you guys to go home and think about whether you really want this.”

 

Jughead feels like he’s being wrapped around a noose.

* * *

It’s suffocating when they arrive at their apartment. They close the door and they stand. They just stand there. right in front of the door with an unnerving tension circling ‘round them. Neither of them move; the sounds overwhelm his ears. It’s just the dripping of the water of the kitchen sink, the anxious breathing of Archie’s and his as well, and the sound of screaming kids down the hallway.

 

“It’s your decision. I’ll follow whatever decision you make if it makes you comfortable.”

 

 _No_ , no, this isn’t what he wanted it to come to. He selfishly wanted this relationship throughout the span of the process of filing it. This is a relationship; it isn’t where he makes the decision and hurts the other. That just isn’t how it works. He doesn’t- agh, fuck, he doesn’t know anymore. It’s all confusing.

 

He stands there and he twists the ring harshly against his ring. Again. Then once more. Then he repeats it again. He doesn’t remove it; he feels this attachment to it and it coats his heart.

 

“You’re hurting yourself. It’s all red,” Jughead’s hand is yanked away from doing any more damage, “Please, stop.”

 

“I- I just don’t know what to do anymore, Arch. You can’t just fo-follow! Follow my stupid fucking decisions! You’re a part of this mess, you’re supposed to say your say,” he throws his hands in the air, quickly bringing them down and digging his nails into his palm.

 

“You already know what I want,” Jughead knows so and it’s something he’s frightened of, so he digs a little deeper.

 

_deeper, go on. you’re doing fine. just go a little deeper. you don’t deserve these feelings. **deE ppe r, forsYt-**_

 

“Stop hurting yourself, damn it!”

 

Archie drags him to their couch and runs off somewhere. He retracts his fingers away from his palm and all he sees is blood seeping out of his palms in four different places. Wounds dripping with crimson red and it doesn’t _even hurt._ He feels so, so numb like everything was just pressuring him. He just wanted to escape and be free from anything holding him back.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Archie sits next to him with a bowl of water, rags, medicine with some bandages. He feels helpless. It shouldn’t have come to this. He’s letting all of _this_ fear, this stupid fucking fear get to his head and it’s driving him crazy. He wants to rip it out of his mind- it’s killing his mind, piece by piece. Jughead just wants this, but he knows it won’t end well.

 

_It never does._

* * *

In that amount of time, he doesn’t notice that Archie has already treated his wounds and removed his ring. There’s a red mark of the ring on it. Seeing it doesn’t make him feel any better.

 

“Here’s your ring.”

 

He looks at it being laid on his roughly bandaged palm where his ring was now on a simple silver chain. All Jughead could do was simply stare at it. It’s sitting idly on his palm and it’s somehow ironic. The fact that the gold band was something he used to hurt himself was laid calmly on his wounds. _Ha!_ That was funny- so ironically funny.

 

Jughead looks at Archie who’s just sitting right next to him and he’s put it on a chain as well. It looks so symbolic to be placed right above where his heart resided. This mess they created out of a road trip’s night out and getting drunk had led to _this._ He could still remember how shaken he was when he woke up at the motel instead of in their car with a fake ring at that. How he just wanted to throttle Archie upon seeing the actual document and how he resisted the urge not to tear it up. He remembers how scared he had been when he looked at the future consequences.

 

It’s still scary, now, and it shakes him how big of a risk and a leap he wants to take.

 

Upon putting the chain around his neck, he found himself to like it better there. Maybe, he didn’t have to hurt himself. But then again, the voices of his past will never stop haunting him. All those memories integrating habits into his mind- they were unstoppable. So, for a start, he asks-

 

“What do you want for dinner?”

 

Archie looks startled upon hearing him say so but then he smiles at him. After a few minutes of silence and resolved tension, Jughead looks at him then opening his mouth to suggest-

 

“Burgers? I du-”

 

“Over many days?”

He laughs loud enough for everything to resonate back to the atmosphere.

 

He’s (both of them really) okay with _this._

**Author's Note:**

> hope you liked that and leave a kudo or comment if you did~  
> -  
> hmu on mah [ tumblr](https://chrischaa.tumblr.com/)  
> if ya wanna scream about jarchie or riverdale or or anything basically


End file.
